A/N: Thanks for the reviews Julie Togepi. Selena isn't actually insane, but more on that later.

Ash rubbed his face. It was bad enough regarding all the crazy things that were happening- on top of all that it seemed that hauling five Badges around was still far more than he could handle at the moment.

He had heard about the ship from its crew members and that was only the tip of the iceberg. Somehow, a herd of Darumaka had gone and burnt down a small village just outside Sandalwood Forest- and they weren't even native to Galea!

But Ash could deal with all that. He could deal with any incident that seemed to happen in some remote area far away from where he was.

The thing that was keeping him up at night, however, was the sky.

The sky had been normal up till a few hours ago when some people started noticing cracks in it. Yes, the sky itself was somehow cracking up like a broken mirror.

Now that was something that was hard to ignore or to just say, "Well, I'm sure it's weird but it isn't that terrible and maybe it'll fix itself"- not only for Ash, but for pretty much all of Galea. As could be imagined, people were running around screaming about how the apocalypse was imminent. Things had gotten so bad near the coast that Wade had gone there to calm things down.

Ash on the other hand, was feeling too nauseous most of the time to travel, and so he was attempting to address the population under his control using radio.

"And so, I'd just like to repeat that I would urge everyone to calm down," Ash said, reading from the pamphlet prepared for him by Mr. Jennings and Duke Hamnet into a microphone. "Those these odd circumstances are certainly disturbing, in these testing times we must all make sure to preserve law and order as nothing will be accomplished if by our society slowly spiraling into chaos. We must uphold the rule of the law. Please stay tuned for further updates and work on getting the message across to poorer sections of society."

Brock gave Ash a thumbs-up and they turned off the mike. Radios weren't all that common in Galea anyway, so it was probably likely that Ash's efforts had gone to waste for the most part, but he had to try. Not to mention the whole speech he had given had seemed ridiculously verbose, but Mr. Jennings had told him that it was the kind of speech that the nobility generally preferred and it was mostly them who had the radios in the first place.

"There's a phone call for you, Ash," Misty said as an attendant told her. "From Selena."

"About time," Ash said. He had been expecting something from her- something resembling an attempt to negotiate.

Not for the first time as Ash left the tent he was thinking that he really should have given one of his Badges to someone else. Keeping five of them at one time was like wearing a ten-pound helmet on your head all the time.

Up till now, Ash had hardly appreciated when other people told him just how hard it was to try and unite Galea. Ash had always thought that if a kid like him could do it, other people should've been able to do so too. But then again, if even half of them felt like he did when they collected more Badges than what they could handle he could see why they might stop.

"Pika pii," Pikachu said sympathetically as it trailed alongside Ash. Ash's Pokemon were one of his few companions aside from his friends (he kept telling himself that they were his friends, not employees or worse, servants) who were all trying to be really nice to him. Sadly, Ash knew in his heart that he was repaying them by being a huge and complete jerk.

It was the constant throbbing in his head- he couldn't think straight for longer than a minute and would begin shouting about the stupidest things. He slept for fourteen hours a day just to get away from the headaches which no medication seemed to be able to relieve.

Ash was honestly just considering finding the first person that he knew and handing them a Badge over so he could live in peace, and as a matter of fact several times throughout the day he seriously considered doing so before stopping himself at the last second. Sure, he could have that person swear an oath and all, but there was a loophole in every contract, so he had to be careful who he chose.

And so, his mind was always on a constant merry-go-round of anxiety.

But he pushed those thoughts away as he approached the telephone. He was going to have to talk to Selena, and if there was one thing that he was sure of it was that it was stupid to go and look weak or unsure in front of your enemy.

Gulliver was away trying to calm down the local villages along with Mary, and almost everyone else including Mr. Jennings, Duke Hamnet, and Celera were doing the same in other places, so Brock and Misty were the only two that Ash knew well. They both stood out of range of the telephone's screen as Ash sat down, but they could hear everything.

"Hello child," Selena said, almost sounding bored.

"What're you wearing?" Ash asked. It looked like some sort of old armor, but it was made out of wood instead of any kind of metal and was painted crimson red. Of course, any kind of armor was pointless really for a Gym Leader.

"Ceremonial," Selena said. "Considering the fact that I'm going to go and strike His Majesty in his very den, I thought I should leave my realm with a dramatic exit."

"What do y-" Ash said before he was cut off.

"Silence child, I do not have much patience left," Selena said. "Now, allow me to speak first. I will be quick about this- I brought you here to Galea. I was the one who broke the barrier to bring you here in the first place. I modified your Pokedex- could you think of another Gym Leader capable of manipulating the Elite Four's own voices? I have been secretly guiding you from the start. I refused to give any actual help to Marley, or Thomdolt, and I'm sure you're enjoying that Roserade I gifted you. Then again, I am assuming that you have already figured much of this out given that I cannot track you with that Pokedex anymore."

"Why?" Ash asked.

"When six Badges of Galea fall under the control of one person or one person and his stewards, the Accord is completely null and void," Selena said. "I can do whatever I want now. Granted, the plan wasn't for Wade to go and fight you, I expected you to come to me so that I would take five Badges from you and so have six in total, strike at His Majesty, and then deal with Wade later. But even though that tiny little bit hasn't gone according to plan it does not matter. I also did not expect the Barrier to unravel so fast, whatever your friends did has damaged it significantly. With all that said and done, I would like for you to hand over your Badges to me."

Ash blinked. "Uh, no? Why would I just give them to you?"

"Because it is pointless to resist," Selena said. "And didn't you say that you wanted to get out of Galea and go back home? Then go out- the Barrier's been going haywire enough that you could easily get out with the protection of your Gym Badges and never come back again. I could easily lead you out for that matter, if you'd just hand them all over to me it would be so much simpler for all of us."

"No," the answer came from Ash almost immediately.

"Has the lure of power corrupted you then? I thought children were supposed to be pure," Selena said with a sly smile. "But it seems that you've become one of us so very soon and in such a short span of time."

"No, it's because you're all crazy," Ash said. "You've done nothing but sit around while most of the people in Galea rotted away in poverty and you were the one who caused this whole mess by disturbing the Barrier, even after how much you used to say that the Barrier was important."

"Oh, it is important," Selena said. "But it will remain structurally stable enough to perform its function for quite some time. And who do you think you are for that matter? Has someone gotten it into your tiny little head that you're a hero of some sort? That you're here to lift Galea from several decades of darkness? You're nothing but a pawn child, a pawn I used as long as I felt was appropriate. I have no use for you anymore. The Elite Four never wanted to help you- they don't know you exist. I have been in complete and total control all this time while you ran around playing conqueror. So do yourself a favor and give up- I don't want to have to divert extra troops to taking over your pitiful realm. And you are pathetically weak child, you have not seen my level of skill ever before in your life, I guarantee you that. So what will it be?" She had the sweetest smile on, like a nursery school teacher would have when a kindergartner would tell her that he wanted to become president or something like that.

Ash spoke unflinchingly, along with Brock and Misty, "No."

Selena's smile evaporated and she smacked the screen so Ash saw her palm slide across the screen. "Damn you child! I will enjoy slowly destroying you and all those you love!"

The call was cut off.

"Not very subtle, is she?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," Ash said. Suddenly, an idea struck him. There was something that Selena had said that made him realize that there was a possibility that he hadn't thought of before.

"Hey guys, Selena said that I could get out," Ash said. "With my Badges at least, and if she says that I could tunnel out safely, I mean, she wouldn't want the whole thing to collapse it should be safe enough. So we could go outside Galea and back to Kanto."

"You really want to leave?" Brock asked. The unspoken question was that the three of them might be able to get out, but that in the process they'd be leaving everyone else in Galea behind.

Ash shook his head. "I don't want to get out of here- not permanently. Don't worry, I'm not going to leave Gulliver or any of the others here behind. Now, I need to ask around to figure out if it might be able to work first- do you know where Wade's scientists are right now? Is there a phone at one of their research facilities?"


Constantinople was Galea's crown city. For that matter, the Gym Leader Selena basically controlled no territory save for the city itself and the outskirts going up to fifty miles form the city's current limits. Sure, there was a bit of the ocean surrounding His Majesty's domain, but it was fairly nothing compared to the city.

A city home to over five million people, it was the only place in Galea that would still be considered somewhat modern and up-to-date when compared to how far the rest of the world had gone. While the other Gym Leaders were forced to buy all of their new tech at exorbitant prices, all of them were developed right here in Constantinople, Galea's hub for the latest in whatever the people at Selena's labs had cooked up.

As such, while in the rest of Galea telephones were reserved for the wealthy (read the Gym Leaders and their favorites) it was rare to find a household without one in Constantinople. Newer cell phones were the craze now with the wealthier inhabitants.

Selena's domain had the largest percentage of urban dwellers in all of Galea. While most other residents of Galea lived in makeshift mud huts or wooden cottages, multistoried apartment buildings were the norm in Constantinople. Selena was confident enough to not refuse Pokemon training to the masses like Marley, Thomdolt, Freyja, and Linnea had and so her Pokemon Trainers were the best in Galea. And all of the new technology needed skilled workers, which led to one of the highest literacy rates in the history of Galea and a very high life expectancy.

All in all, hands down, Constantinople was the place to be in Galea. If Ash had to choose somewhere to live in Galea, it would be in Constantinople with pretty much nothing coming even close to it- the only drawback being the Secret Service snooping around but for most citizens they were simply a dark rumour that didn't involve them much in the slightest.

All of this meant that Selena, with her monopoly on technology, was the richest Gym Leader, which was what had helped pay for all the ships that they were sending to the north. It also paid for the large standing army that Selena had continued to maintain even after the Accord had been signed- an army that was extremely lethal given how Selena didn't restrict Pokemon ownership and encouraged her Trainers to battle and become stronger.

She herself taught some of the more prodigious students, but those classes had been discontinued.

The only problem currently with such a large military force was figuring out just where to send it, given that Selena was now at war both with His Majesty and with Ash Ketchum.


"Daddy! Are you really going 'way?" Corrin asked while jumping around in his chair. Like most four-year-olds, it was as if Corrin was on a constant sugar rush and he just couldn't quite sit still.

"I'm sorry kiddo," Leeroy Jenkins said as he rubbed the boy on his head. "But sometimes Daddy needs to go and do things away from home." He looked towards his short statured redhead wife who looked on the verge of tears.

"Come back safe," was all that she could manage.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving right now," Jenkins said. "We have to figure out a few things first, but I might not get time to come home again so I just wanted to see you. And you'll always have your mother here to take care of you."

It was only thanks to Jenkin's high rank that he had managed to prevent his wife from being drafted along with him. Most of the families in Constantinople had everyone over the age of eighteen being conscripted for the imminent war, except for a few that were needed to guard the territory from potential invasion from Ash Ketchum, or, far less likely, if His Majesty found the courage to strike them at their homeland.

"Now be a good boy, alright?" Jenkins said with a smile. "School's out for now so you can stay at home with Mummy all you want, and don't give her any trouble, okay?"

"How long will it take?" Lilith asked, but she knew the answer already from her husband's face.

"I can never tell, but if all goes well we should be done within a couple of weeks and even then it might be a bit longer before I can return," Jenkins said.

"Couldn't they send someone else?" Lilith asked. She had stopped trying to hold back a flood of emotions and solitary tears began trickling down her cheeks. "I mean- you're here second-in-command, surely they would leave you here? They need someone to look after the city!"

Jenkins took his wife by the shoulders. "Dear, I'm her right hand. That's why I just have to go. I have to oversee her plans and make sure that she wins. Think about all that we've gotten thanks to my position- this house, money, and everything else that we could ask for. We- I, need to give back to her for that. And don't be so upset, we'll probably be back home safely, and it isn't as if I will be fighting in the front line."

Lilith was crying even more now. Corrin clearly looked upset too now- and he was far too young to understand what was happening.

"Come on, be strong, for our son," Jenkins said. "Don't worry about anything else, I've arranged for us to have enough food stored for months and anyway I can always get someone to look after you. Marie- yes, she's staying just a few blocks away and she'll be part of the city's defense, I can have her check up on you in case you need anything."

Even Corrin was tearing up, but Lilith seemed to have pulled herself together. She scooped up her son in her arms and said, "Say bye to Daddy!"

"Bye!" Corrin said.

Jenkins smiled and kissed each of them on the forehead before he set off outside and saw that his driver was waiting for him.

Truth be told, he was feeling far more nervous than he had let on. But he knew he had to keep strong, despite his doubts regarding what was happening.

He knew that it wasn't just his family who were suffering. Far from it- the city would be filled with spouses and children who couldn't sleep properly tonight.

Jenkins had never noticed it before, but the absence of Constantinople's three walls was rather conspicuous as the car skirted near what used to be the boundary of the city. Constantinople's three walls had been iconic- they were strongly associated with the city's history and millennia of citizens trying to keep the barbarians and invaders alike outside the walls. They had been torn down only five years ago to give the city room to expand.

Jenkins had assumed that peace would be eternal and so the walls would be unnecessary, but now he sorely wanted them back. Sure, they were not of much use given that they could torn down with a Gym Badge but they certainly made many feel safer, not to mention they could keep common soldiers out.

Jenkins buried his face in his hands as they approached HQ.

He knew why everyone in the city was feeling dour. Truth be told, they had all been spoiled. The citizens of Constantinople had lived in luxury for too long, and now they had been called to war. The people of Galea who had lived comfortably for most of their lives and were probably the most used to comfort were now going to be part of a huge invasion.

What really scared him was not His Majesty, he was sure that Selena would take him out. No, he was scared that Ash, Wade, or another one of the foreigner's minions would come and invade Constantinople behind their backs. The boy hadn't done much to harass civilians, but anything could happen when war broke out, and his family would certainly be targets kudos to his status.

He even contemplated bringing Lilith and Corrin along with him- perhaps they would be safer while on the fleet where at least they would be surrounded by military personnel, but then discarded the idea. He fidgeted in his seat- there was no guarantee they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire on the fleet, but there was also no certainty they'd be safe back home…

His mind laden heavy with these thoughts, he climbed the stairs to where Selena would be awaiting him.

A/N: And that ends another chapter. Thanks for reading, but we'll be on hiatus for a while as I'm getting busy now. Thanks for understanding.